Getting all the relevant, bookable inventory in front of business travelers is a never-ending challenge. Airlines, hotels and other suppliers constantly tinker with their products and pricing, and usually favor direct distribution over more costly third-party channels. That creates complexity in business travel technology.
“Corporate customers object to American Airlines decision.” Is this even news anymore? This week’s disclosure that the carrier will crack down on automated rebooking when fares drop casts uncertainty over a spend management practice widely used by corporates and travel management companies. On May 1, AA published revised agreements governing travel agency relationships, with updated…
“Blended” travel at American Airlines is trending down and approaching its historical level, potentially undermining one element of a narrative about why the company changed just about everything it does with the managed corporate travel market. Some of its arguments about how the market has changed met with skepticism. That doesn’t mean it’s going to…
More than half of travel buyers surveyed by the Global Business Travel Association this month said some airlines were rolling out programs using the New Distribution Capability “too quickly.” Four in five said they needed more info and education about NDC. Sixty percent of the 277 polled buyers said they did not support the approach…
To accelerate growth and support its leisure travel diversion, Navan next week will relaunch its program rewarding business travelers who purchase “cost-conscious” hotels. It will label eligible hotels in search results with a “Rewards” symbol and exclude rates negotiated by employers. Because “this year has taught us that reducing costs is the No. 1 priority…
With the New Distribution Capability, Air Canada wants to have and eat its cake. During a Tuesday press briefing, executives took pains to distance themselves from the approaches of some other airlines, most recently American, and the resulting criticisms for forcing distribution change. Their words were paradoxical. Air Canada execs want a “smooth transition” that’s…
Are American and Southwest switching places? No, the low-fare flag bearer isn’t going global, adding business class or assigning seats. But in some critical ways for the corporate market, Southwest is behaving more like its crosstown rival, while that rival is moving in the other direction. As it does for Delta and United, American’s strategy…
For former Global Business Travel Association executive director and veteran corporate travel executive Mike McCormick, there’s no fighting the changes travel management now faces and no avoiding uncertainty. The American Airlines NDC-powered pricing mandate beginning now is signaling a major inflection point in the travel industry. It is the canary in the coal mine. However,…
End of content
End of content
